Ken Starr, who investigated Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky case, dies

Died this Tuesday (13) Ken Starr, the promoter of the sex scandal involving former US President Bill Clinton and former White House intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998. The death of Starr, 76, is related to complications from surgery, according to his family.

At the time of the scandal, the then prosecutor became famous for appearing on television stations, often accusing the Democrat. For him, not even the US president was above the law.

The scandal centered on Clinton’s attempt to cover up her relationship with Lewinsky – the Democrat had denied having sex with the former intern, which turned out to be a lie. The case was framed as obstruction of justice and perjury.

For Starr, by the way, the president’s strategy could support impeachment requests, which was done by the Republican Party. The House of Representatives, with a Republican majority, approved the removal of Clinton, but the Senate halted the political process and the Democrat remained in office until the end of his term.

The investigations became so popular at the time that the prosecution’s final report, at 336 pages, became one of the best-selling books in American bookstores. “According to Ms. Lewinsky, she performed oral sex with the president on nine occasions. On all of these occasions, the president fondled and kissed her bare breasts,” read the report, known as The Starr Report. “She would call him handsome and every now and then he would call her sweet or baby or sweetheart,” she added in another excerpt.

Starr was born in the town of Vernon, Texas. His professional career was still marked by strong ties to the Republican Party. He, for example, was an adviser to William French Smith, the first attorney general to then-President Ronald Reagan (1981-1989). Before that, between 1974 and 1975, he worked with the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Warren Burger – who, by the way, was nominated by the Republican Richard Nixon.

In 1989, Starr became Solicitor General (sort of Advocate General) of the US. In office, he defended 25 cases, including controversial lawsuits over abortion rights and mandatory prayers in public schools across the country. Because of his closeness to the Republicans, he was often mentioned as one of the favorites to be nominated as a Justice of the US Supreme Court.

In 2020, he served as an attorney for then-President Donald Trump during the Republican’s impeachment process. At the time, he accused political parties of using such processes as a weapon. “Just like war, impeachment is hell,” he told the Senate.